How to return a value from an exe into TOAD Automation

Hello,
I have an issue where I need to return a value from an executable file back into code. I would like to basically have my .exe return a year as an integer value e.g. '2012'. However, TOAD sees this as a return value of 0000000. Am I doing something wrong? Ideally, I would like to return a string, but .exe files can only return integers. Can TOAD save a value printed into the log as a variable? Thanks.

I think we need more context and details... An "exe" returning a value... if we're talking return code, then I'm not sure Toad can automatically pick it up. However, if the exe/program could deposit/print out the value (e.g. in an output file, say) then Toad should be able to read that value in and assign a variable to the value.